1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus for deriving a body fat area that is an information useful for health care, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for deriving a body fat area by which one can know a visceral fat area and a subcutaneous fat area.
2. Prior Arts
A various types of measuring apparatus have been known for measuring body fat of a person that is a major factor for corpulence. For example, Japanese Patent No. 1848283 discloses a body fat weight meter in which sex, height and age of a person are entered; body weight and impedance between extreme portions of the body are measured; and fat tissue weight in the body is estimated. Another example is an MRI or X-ray CT apparatus for taking a tomographic picture for an abdomen (in particular a navel region) of the body and deriving subcutaneous fat area and visceral fat area based on the result of picture analysis.
It is well known that there are two types of corpulence: subcutaneous fat type and visceral fat type. Recently it has become more important to know the visceral fat mass that greatly affects the cause of suffering from adult noncommunicable disease, and therefore, it is desired to determine whether the corpulence is subcutaneous fat type or visceral fat type.
However, the prior art apparatus as described above have several problems as follows: In the body fat weight meter one can only know whole body fat mass or whole percent fat. On the other hand, the MRI or X-ray CT apparatus is very expensive. Such apparatus needs some expert operator for letting a person to be measured lay down and kept at that position during the measurement. The apparatus is difficult to operate by an ordinary person alone, and therefore, it is not suitable for home use. In addition, the apparatus is bulky and cumbersome to handle, and takes longer period of time for measurement. More importantly, in the measurement with the X-ray CT apparatus, a person to be measured is exposed to X-ray that is very small amount and not to impair the health, but the person to be measured does not spontaneously undergo the measurement from the psychological point of view. In this connection, the measurement with the X-ray CT apparatus should not repeatedly be conducted to the same person because of accumulation of X-ray exposure.
Furthermore, in the past, a subcutaneous fat area and a visceral fat area have been derived in such manner that a tomographic picture for an abdomen (in particular a navel region) of a human body is taken by use of an X-ray CT apparatus and the picture is analyzed to produce numerical data. Thereafter, an expert person such as a physician evaluates the subcutaneous fat area and the visceral fat area based on the numerical data produced and gives an advice to a person under test according to the result of evaluation.
However, in view of the fact that the measurement result of the subcutaneous fat area and the visceral fat area is represented simply by the numerical data at the time when it is derived, it is difficult to determine whether such measurement result of the subcutaneous fat area and the visceral fat area is good for the health or it requires some health care unless reference to a separate evaluation criterion is made. In addition, an advice by an expert person such as a physician or reference to a guidance book is necessary in order to successfully perform the health care in future in response to the measurement result. In any way, the prior art apparatus is defective in that a person under test can""t easily understand own health condition.
In view of the above an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for easily deriving a body fat area while solving the above-mentioned prior art problems.
To attain such object the present invention provides a method for deriving a body fat area, comprising the steps of: measuring a parameter value correlated to the body fat area; and calculating the body fat area from the measured parameter value by using a regression equation for estimation of the body fat area based on the measured parameter value.
According to one embodiment of the present invention said parameter value correlated to the body fat area includes a value for any one of, or any combination of, the followings: whole body fat, trunk segment fat, girth of an abdomen, corpulence evaluation index and body weight.
According to another embodiment of the present invention said body fat area is represented by a value for any one of the followings: visceral fat, subcutaneous fat and gross fat.
According to further embodiment of the present invention said value for visceral fat is the value for the area of visceral fat, said value for subcutaneous fat is the value for the area of subcutaneous fat, and said value for gross fat is the value for the area of gross fat.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said step of calculating the body fat area from the measured parameter value takes into consideration of personal data including sex, age, height, race, etc.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for deriving a body fat area, comprising: a parameter measuring unit and/or a parameter input unit; and an arithmetic unit, whereby, said parameter measuring unit measures a parameter value correlated to the body fat area and said parameter input unit enters a parameter value correlated to the body fat, and said an arithmetic unit calculates the body fat area from the measured parameter value obtained by said parameter measuring unit and/or from the input parameter value entered by said parameter input unit, by using a regression equation for estimation of the body fat area based on said measured parameter value and said input parameter value.
According to one embodiment of the present invention said parameter value correlated to the body fat area includes a value for any one of, or any combination of, the followings: whole body fat, trunk segment fat, girth of abdomen, corpulence evaluation index and body weight.
According to another embodiment of the present invention said body fat area is represented by a value for any one of the followings: visceral fat, subcutaneous fat and gross fat.
According to further embodiment of the present invention said value for visceral fat is the value for the area of visceral fat, said value for subcutaneous fat is the value for the area of subcutaneous fat, and said value for gross fat is the value for the area of gross fat.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes a personal data input unit, whereby said personal data input unit enters a personal data including sex, age, height, race, etc., and said arithmetic unit takes into consideration of the personal data entered by said personal data input unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes a personal data measuring unit, whereby said personal data measuring unit measures a personal data including sex, age, height, race, etc., and said arithmetic unit takes into consideration of the personal data measured by said personal data measuring unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes a personal data input unit and a personal data measuring unit, whereby said personal data input unit enters the personal data including sex, age, height, race, etc., and said personal data measuring unit measures the personal data including sex, age, height, race, etc., and said arithmetic unit takes into consideration of the personal data entered by said personal data input unit and measured by said personal data measuring unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes a memory unit, whereby said memory unit stores the regression equation for estimation of the body fat area, and said arithmetic unit calculates the body fat area by using the regression equation for estimation of the body fat area stored in said memory unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes an evaluation unit, whereby said evaluation unit evaluates the health or corpulence condition based upon the result of the body fat area derived by the arithmetic unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further includes a display unit, whereby said display unit displays the results produced by the arithmetic unit and the evaluation unit.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention a measuring unit for measuring the girth of abdomen includes an encoder type measure.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention the measuring unit for measuring the girth of abdomen includes an ultrasonic type measure.
In further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for deriving a body fat area, comprising: an evaluation unit; and a display unit, whereby, said evaluation unit evaluates the result of body fat area derived and produces an evaluation criterion and/or advice information about corpulence or health condition, and said display unit displays said evaluation criterion and/or advice information produced by said evaluation unit.
According to one embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further comprises: a parameter measuring unit and/or a parameter input unit; a memory unit; and an arithmetic unit, whereby, said parameter measuring unit measures a parameter value correlated to the body fat area, and said parameter input unit enters a parameter value correlated to the body fat area, said memory unit stores a regression equation for estimation of the body fat area; and said arithmetic unit calculates the body fat area based on said parameter values from said parameter measuring unit and/or said parameter input unit by using said regression equation for estimation of the body fat area stored in said memory unit.
According to another embodiment of the present invention said apparatus further comprises a personal data input unit and/or a personal data measuring unit, whereby said personal data input unit enters a personal data including sex, age and height, and said personal data measuring unit measures a personal data including sex, age and height, and said arithmetic unit takes into consideration of the personal data from said personal data input unit and/or said personal data measuring unit.
According to further embodiment of the present invention said display unit displays a graph having an evaluation criterion for evaluating a relationship between said body fat area and other living body information.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said body fat area is represented by a value for visceral fat, subcutaneous fat or gross fat.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said evaluation criterion includes threshold lines.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said threshold lines are successively provided.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention a display pattern is changed for each of regions defined by said threshold lines.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said display pattern is formed by shape, color, figure, marking, hue and flashing condition.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said other living body information includes corpulence evaluation index.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said corpulence evaluation index includes Body Mass Index (BMI).
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said display unit displays a historical graph representing a historical data of the measurement result of the body fat area up to now.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said advice information includes a selectable exercise instruction.
According to yet further embodiment of the present invention said body fat area includes a visceral fat area, and said evaluation criterion includes threshold lines provided on the positions where the visceral fat area is 100 cm2 and 130 cm2.